Axbridge Town Council and many residents have had a chance to comment on the proposed 53 new homes to be built on the field adjacent to Houlgate Way in the town.
Cllr Graham Godwin-Pearson's comment on the application is as follows:-
Whilst I fully appreciate the need for new housing, I object to some of the details relating to the reserved matters for the proposed Lavender Rise in Axbridge. I was disappointed that Bellway was unable to send a representative to the public meeting earlier this month, which was well-attended by Axbridge residents.
I concur with Axbridge Town Council’s concerns relating to appearance, landscaping, scale and layout. In particular, I am concerned that:-
- The appearance of the proposed buildings does not include enough variation in materials and features.
- The vast majority of properties proposed are 4-bedroom houses, whereas I would hope for 1-, 2- and 3-bed homes for younger and older buyers.
- Not enough thought has been given to protecting wildlife and biodiversity in the development. Since Sedgemoor has declared an ecological emergency, I would hope to see a great deal of effort in making the development biodiversity positive. This starts with the work itself - the wildlife area at the south of the site should be created, allowed to mature and fenced off before any work begins, to give birds, insects and small mammals a new home before the rest of the landscape is removed. We should see a net increase in the area designated for wildlife on the site and every home should have a swift box, a sparrow box and a bee brick at suitable locations.
- We should be seeking to ensure that every home is as energy independent as possible, with solar panels, electric car charging points and access to ground source heat pumps. It is for the developers to lay ground source heat pumps infrastructure under the road surface at depth suitable to be efficient but to enable Somerset County Highways to adopt the road. This is particularly important given the rising cost of energy.
- There should be access to the little car park across an adopted road, so that it is truly public, whilst retaining a footpath to Houlgate Way directly.
- As a development on the edge of town, I would like to see an offer from the developer to work with landowners to purchase a narrow strip of land along Cross Lane to convert to a solid footpath, allowing Lavender Rise owners to walk or cycle safely to Cross and finally providing a solution to this long-running issue affecting the neighbouring communities.
- No details pertaining to CIL have been published.
As Somerset moves towards a unitary authority, I believe that we have an opportunity to set a gold standard for new homes, which can be carried into the new council. Sedgemoor in general - and Axbridge in particular - is a very pleasant place to live and developers can, if they wish, command high prices for properties. We should, however, always consider local need, the vernacular and access to services. In every way they can, new developments must add to a community, not detract from it. We must also give the most thorough consideration to environmental protection, ecological improvement and energy efficiency. These are not box ticking exercises, but represent a duty if anything to over-provide.
I look forward to seeing more detail and some movement on these issues.
Commenting via the website has now closed, but if you haven't had your say and still wish to do so, you can email the planning office at Sedgemoor.
